Once a beneficiary becomes entitled to Title II benefits, we must update the beneficiary's
record to reflect changes in the beneficiary's circumstances. This will ensure we
continue issuing the correct benefit payment. Changes in the beneficiary's circumstances
may result in suspension, deduction, nonpayment, adjustment, or termination of benefits.
Changes in benefit delivery may also require updates to the beneficiary's record.
We refer to these updates as post-entitlement (PE) actions.
Title II systems automatically process many PE actions. If these systems cannot automatically
process an update, manual action is required. When an update requires manual processing,
the PE processing system produces an exception or a processing limitation. A Title
II input could also result in an alert, meaning the input action was processed but
the record requires additional review. A Processing Center (PC) technician must review
the alert, exception, or processing limitation, correct any issues that prevented
the system from automatically processing the update, and make the necessary changes
to the beneficiary's record. PC technicians must also document their reasons for clearing
exceptions, processing limitations, or alerts without taking corrective actions.
IMPORTANT: Changes to a number holder's (NH) record may also affect the payment of benefits
to auxiliaries or survivors receiving benefits on the NH's record.
For SSI cases, see SI 02300.000 Post Eligibility Events.
1. Suspension, deduction, and nonpayment of benefits
Suspension, deduction, and nonpayment provisions of the law affect a beneficiary's
eligibility to receive benefits for a given period. Examples include prisoner suspensions,
work deductions, no child-in-care deductions, Workers' Compensation/Public Disability
Benefit offset, and applicability of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government
Pension Offset (GPO).
2. Adjustment of benefit amount
Some changes may result in an adjustment of the beneficiary's benefit amount. Examples
include new entitlement on another record, termination of benefits for another auxiliary
on the record, or credit for additional earnings.
3. Termination of entitlement to benefits
Entitlement to monthly Title II benefits continues until a terminating event occurs.
Examples of terminating events include death of the beneficiary, marriage, divorce,
and attainment of age 18 for a child beneficiary who is not disabled or a full-time
student.
A terminating event ends a beneficiary's entitlement to benefits until we establish
a new period of entitlement.
4. Change in benefit delivery
Prompt delivery of benefits depends on accurate Social Security records. To ensure
records remain up-to-date and accurate, technicians must evaluate and process changes
in address, direct deposit, or representative payee needs in a timely manner.